Recently, users may communicate with each other through homepages, e-mails, phones and the like. The homepages and the e-mails may not guarantee real-time communication between users. Although direct calls via phone may guarantee excellent real-time communication between users, they may undesirably increase the user's burden with respect to communication costs.
The instant messenger as an efficient way to transfer information in real time over the Internet. The instant messenger aims at real-time delivery of simple messages between users. The instant messenger may allow two users to talk to each other in real time through text messages delivered, as if they were talking to each other directly. The instant messenger immediately forwards the received information or messages according to its real-time characteristics.
As the messenger service has expanded from the existing Personal Computer (PC)-based messenger and Short Message Service (SMS) service to Internet Protocol (IP)-based mobile messengers, various mobile messengers have been serviced competitively. In addition, as user terminals (e.g., mobile devices) have been personalized and in many cases, one user may use multiple devices at the same time, services for multiple devices have been provided.
For example, when one user uses two or more user terminals at the same time, the user may simultaneously use one messenger service through multiple user terminals. In this case, for the conversation partner of the messenger service, the user is perceived as the same one user, but the messenger service may be provided to the same user through multiple user terminals.
When a user uses a mobile messenger in this multi-device environment, a received message may be delivered to all the user terminals of the user, possibly causing a plurality of associated alarms, vibrations, pop-up messages and the like may be triggered. In this situation, even though the user wants to send and receive a message on one user terminal, the message may be received even on the other user terminals, so its associated alarm, vibrations or pop-up message may be generated on the other user terminals as well, causing inconvenience to the user. Further, additional battery consumption may occur due to the unwanted message reception notification, affecting the basic performance of the user terminals.
In addition, when the currently used user terminal has sent a message, the user terminal may not be synchronized in real time with the other user terminals connected as multiple devices, so a polling procedure should be performed periodically.
The above information is presented as background information to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable to the present disclosure.